58 THE BOTANY OF BERMUDA. 



sometimes covers the entire surface of the shoots and large portions of 

 the leaves. The writer often had them brushed off small trees; and the 

 twigs and leaves well syringed, to their great advantage, but a few 

 weeks brought them back, and no systematic attempt is made to keep 

 down this plague, which is equally injurious to several other trees; for 

 example, the Eugenia, the Avocada Pear — even the Cycas and the 

 Yucca. The creature, in fact, seems capable of deriving nourishment 

 from the leaves or tender bark of nearly every description of plant. 

 The insect form is entirely obliterated in the old females, which become 

 mere shells full of eggs. The writer once found a negro engaged in 

 laying bare the roots of some orange trees on Trunk Island, and learned 

 that his object was to apply in some way whale oil to them. In general, 

 however, the trees are sutfered to run wild, little care is taken to prune 

 them, or to cut out dead wood, or to free branches which intersect, ex- 

 coriate, and choke each other, and few young trees are planted. On 

 all these accounts Bermuda can never rival Florida, where the orange 

 is now grown on the largest scale of farming, with all the resources 

 of horticultural skill ; but the fruit might be much more abundant than 

 it is for the benetit of the inhabitants. 



The Bermuda Company sent out orange, lemon, and citron seeds 

 in ICIG.* In 1621 the governor was able to refresh a shipwrecked 

 party with the fruit,f and from 1634 we lind examples of rents paid in 

 oranges and lemons.| Sir W. Reid, among his many beneficial meas- 

 ures, procured great quantities of young plants for distribution from 

 Madeira about 1846, and bore strong testimony to the excellent quality 

 of the fruit of the island growth. 



Triphasia trifoUata, DC. 

 To be found as a low creeping bush in some gardens. Introduced. 



Murraya exotica, Linn. Martinique Laurel. 



A very ornamental shrub, not uncommon in gardens. Introduced 

 from West Indies. 



CooMa punctata, Eetz. Wampee. 

 In a few gardens. Introduced by Governor Elliot. 



XXXI.— Meliace^. 



jWelia Azedarach, Linn. Pride oi' India; in the United States, Pride of 

 China. 

 A short-lived tree, worthless as timber, but valuable for shade and 



*I.,p. 117. tl., p. 158. U., p. 405. 



